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Looking for a comprehensive guide to the city, complete with the latest deals and directions to your favorite area businesses? There’s an app for that.

Earlier this month SBClick, a Santa Barbara-based marketing agency, launched its new SBClick iPhone application, which provides both visitors and residents with the latest information on area merchants, right at their fingertips. SBClick has already accumulated a database of 1,400 merchant descriptions, 15 advertising businesses and hundreds of registered users.

Mike Head, SBClick’s chief operating officer, explained that the new mobile tool is fundamentally different from other applications in that it takes a more personalized approach than other popular iPhone utilities. The free program lets users control what special-offer updates they receive depending on physical location, time of day, and a customized profile managed at SBClick.com. Users will receive “merchant coupons” that offer tailored discounts on dining and retail locations.

The application not only provides great deals for customers, but also allows businesses to attract “qualified traffic,” Head said. The deals are distributed to phones according to criteria that users specify before activating the program, eliminating the possibility of unwanted advertisements.

“The concept of mobile coupons really empowers merchants,” Head said emphatically. “They are able to reach customers who want to be reached, right then and there.”

In addition to tailored deals, the user-friendly application allows those frequenting Santa Barbara eateries and boutiques to exchange opinions instantly, with the capability to write and read reviews.

Just weeks after its introduction, the application has received positive feedback and has spread throughout the area by word of mouth. With the holiday shopping season creeping up, SBClick couldn’t have picked a better time to integrate themselves into the Santa Barbara community.

“We’re seeking to enhance the Santa Barbara experience for all those involved,” Head said, “the consumer, the business, and the relationship between the two.”

Excited about the future, Head said that SBClick would continue “honing in on a technology that’s really on the brink of success.” The company has plans of expansion, expecting to serve major cities across the nation, including Austin, Boulder, Ann Arbor, and Madison by 2010.